Stay Tuned: Fall TV premiere hits and misses

Melissa Crawley More Content Now

Tuesday

Sep 25, 2018 at 10:58 AMSep 25, 2018 at 10:59 AM

TV Insider is a weekly roundup of what’s happening in the world of television. From ratings winners and losers to the latest news items to what shows are generating buzz, TV Insider keeps you up to date on all things television.

Dispatches: Weekly TV news

Freeform wants to help you celebrate Halloween early and often. Its “31 Nights of Halloween” programming event features short form content including “Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic,” plus the films “Hocus Pocus,” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which are both marking their 25th anniversaries. The month-long event starts Oct. 1.

James Lipton, the creator and host of “Inside the Actors Studio” has announced his retirement from the interview program. Broadcast on Bravo for 23 years, the series, which features a rotating panel of actors who discuss the details of their craft, moves to Ovation TV next fall. Various guest hosts will replace Lipton.

Contenders: Buzz worthy shows worth your time

Settle into some Australian TV with the new FX import “Mr Inbetween.” (There is no period after Mr). Talented Scott Ryan, the writer and creator is also the lead actor. He plays Ray, a hitman trying to navigate a midlife crisis, with so much charisma that it’s hard not to enjoy every scene he is in.

Experience the late chef and travel host Anthony Bourdain’s worldview one last time with the final episodes of “Parts Unknown” (CNN). The first episode of the show’s last season features Bourdain and W. Kamau Bell (“United Shades of America”) traveling through Kenya. Commenting on Bourdain’s legacy, Bell noted: “If there’s anything that Tony taught us, it’s how to be a good guest.”

Report Card: A look at winners and losers

Winners: Tiger Woods won his first PGA Tour since 2013 last Sunday and scored a viewership record for NBC’s golf coverage. Ratings for the tournament’s final round more than doubled from last year and the overnight numbers hit an all-time high for the Tour Championship.

Losers: ABC’s game shows continued their downward spiral, with the finales of “Celebrity Family Feud” and “The $100,000 Pyramid” recording season lows.

— Melissa Crawley is the author of “Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television’s ‘The West Wing.’” She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at staytuned@outlook.com or follow her on Twitter at @MelissaCrawley.

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